I'm Sorry Doesn't Mend a Broken Heart
by Arihena
Summary: Bella decides she loves Jacob after Edward returns. Set sometime between New Moon and Eclipse. Edward wants to kill himself but realizes the one sin he did not commit yet, so he meets up with Jessica. Jessica has a dark past, but a bright future. JessxEd
1. The Note That Led To This

I don't own any of the characters, Stephenie Meyer does.

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"I'm Sorry" Doesn't Mend a Broken Heart

_This isn't working anymore.  
When you think about it, it was like trying to slam a revolving door.  
I cried, I cared, I lost all hope.  
You left me here alone to cope.  
I coped with the pain and the loss.  
Now it's time to pay the cost.  
What you did changed things; it can't go back to the way it was.  
I'm sad to realize it, but you're not the one I love.  
He helped me through it all.  
He's my best friend, and now you have to take a fall.  
He has a part of me now; it's bigger than your part.  
Because even "I'm Sorry" won't mend a broken heart._

_I'm sorry it has to end this way, with a note. But I don't think I have the strength of seeing your face when you find out. This was happening anyway, I just wish Alice never saw me jumping off of that stupid cliff. _

_I'll never forget you, we can be friends, but I don't want you to see me again if it hurts you, I feel bad enough doing this._

_Jake makes me happy, he'll protect me, you won't have to worry about me. I want you to be happy Edward._

_I'll always miss you, I'll always love you, but as a friend, not a lover._

_Goodbye Edward._

_Bella _

This was the last thing Edward had heard from Bella in a couple of days, she had convinced him that he needed to take a hunting trip for three days. This was the thing Alice was hiding from Edward the day before he left.

When he first started reading the note he was worried at the first verse of her poem. He almost laughed out loud at the second verse; it was something Edward said a lot to a frustrated Bella.

_Flashback_

_Bella was getting annoyed, no matter how much Edward tutored her she would never be able to understand trigonometry. "Edward this is impossible!"_

"_Bella.." Edward started to talk but was soon cut off._

"_Yeah I know I know. Nothing's impossible, I've heard that before." She sighed in frustration._

"_Actually Bella people who say that nothing's impossible have obviously not tried to slam a revolving door." He laughed at his logic, she tried to scowl but failed, and eventually she was laughing too. They leaned over the table and kissed each other, it was short but sweet, and full of love._

_End Flashback_

It brought tears to his eyes to think about that now, well, as real tears as he could possibly have. He swallowed and continued reading her poem.

The third and fourth lines brought back memories he never wanted to see again. Bella lying on the ground in the middle of the forest, broken. Her emotionless face every day, her screams of nightmares when she woke up. Edward shivered. It was Jacob Black who so kindly provided him with these pictures the last time they had met.

The sixth line sent him thinking, he knew he would never be able to apologize enough for leaving her, he already beat himself up every day for ever doing that.

Reading the eighth line made his breath hitch in his chest; he had always known she was too good for him. He always knew that she would soon grow bored of him and leave him; he just hoped it wouldn't actually happen. Now that it did he didn't know what to think.

Jacob. Reading the next two lines he knew it was Jacob. He was there for her when he was not, and he could not undo that. He was already paying the cost of leaving her; he had never done anything so painful in his entire existence.

He read the last line and froze. He had said "I'm sorry" to her a multitude of times when they arrived back home. Even at the time he knew it would not be enough. No matter how much it tortured him, he continued reading.

He thought she had wished he hadn't tried to kill himself. She didn't love him anymore, but she didn't want him dead.

He would never see her again then, because it would be worse than being burned alive to see her.

He knows Jake would be fit to protect her, he always was better for her.

He still loved Bella, but as a lover, not a friend. He would never be more than that to her, and he couldn't live with that.

At that moment he made up his mind, he was going to kill himself, and he was going through with it this time, no matter who tried to stop him.

Alice ran through the doorway of Edward's room to find him sobbing erratically on the floor, tears weren't flowing, but she could tell by his expression that he was hurt. Badly. She picked the paper from between his fingers and read it. Her expression grew more horrified as she read on. She was in shock; she didn't think Bella would ever do this to Edward. Edward. She suddenly remembered the vampire in emotional agony lying on the floor.

She searched his future, looking for any decisions he had recently made. What she found was expected, well at least with this letter. She was not going to let this happen, she couldn't. Edward had finally realized that Alice saw his future; she saw that he had planned to kill himself.

"Alice, I beg of you not to tell anyone, please. This is what I need and you know that." His eyes were pleading; he was begging her not to tell anyone about him planning his own demise, again. She would not let him, she had to go tell Carlisle now, Edward needed help. She had just started towards the door when Edward caught her arm and used all of his force to hold her in place. "Alice you know this is just going to keep going on and on again. No matter what I will always love Bella. No matter what she will never love me back. I will never be the same person I was. I have to do this; it's the only way to escape this. I'd take hell with a smile after all I've been put through." Alice looked at him, looking for any contradictions in his eyes that she did not hear in his words, she found none. He was serious. She knew this was wrong, but this was her brother, and she could not stand to see him in pain anymore, if this was his last wish from her, then let it be so.

"Okay Edward." She started crying, well, as much as a vampire could cry. She held him close to her chest, knowing full well that he planned to leave tonight. He held her gladly, using this as a distraction, anything to get away from the pain. He told her that she wouldn't have to hide it long, that she could even go hunting, pretend she was thirsty.

And then he was gone.

He was on his way to the airport when he thought about his life. He did about everything one could possibly do. He was definitely going to hell, if not for his species, then for what he has done. He has sinned probably more than any other person. However.

He pulled to the side of the road to think. He had never had sex, never. That was the one rule he had left unbroken, untouched. Why care now? Why should he care about the rule when he was going to hell anyway? Emmett had told him that it was the greatest pleasure known to man, second to vampire. He changed his direction, for some strange reason he wanted to make sure that he was going to hell. He didn't know why, and frankly, he didn't care.

He headed towards the nearest bar, hoping to pick up some random chick. When he found something that looked like a bar, he quickly read the minds of the people inside it, most of them were drunk out of their heads, this would do nicely. He didn't even bother looking at the name of the bar, it's not like he would be coming back.

When he went inside he scanned the crowd. He looked for minds that were slightly if not even drunk at all, he didn't want to totally take advantage of anyone. He would still have a conscience even if he ceased to exist days after the incident.

When he was thinking about all of the different voices he heard one, but it was strangely familiar. He looked around, and spotted none other than Jessica Stanley. She was much too young to be here at a club, but she had made a play for Edward a year ago, and Mike didn't exactly like her too much.

He was the cat, and she was the prey. He followed her to the bar, where he picked the stool next to hers. She was alone, perfect. "Jessica, what are you doing here?"

She turned to the person who rudely interrupted her; she was attempting to get a drink by flirting with the bartender. She looked around and realized that the elusive Edward Cullen was sitting next to her, and speaking to her. "Edward? I should ask the same of you." He was obviously no older than she was.

He decided to break the ice by ordering the drinks, "Excuse me mister?" The bartender looked in Edward's direction. "Could I please have a beer?" He looked over at Jessica. "Jess what do you want?"

She was stunned that he was being nice, buying drinks, being able to buy drinks, and so much more. The feelings she had for him a year ago bubbled to the surface. "The same thanks." He ordered two beers and smiled when the bartender asked for an ID. He gladly showed him the fake one Alice and Jasper are good at getting their hands on. "Edward what are you doing? We're going to get caught; we're obviously not old enough to be ordering drinks at a bar!" She half-whispered half-hissed at him.

"Oh really? Because my ID states that I am legally 21 years old." He showed it to her when the waiter handed it back to Edward. "See for yourself." Jessica had never been able to get a fake ID as good as this one. Well he was rich; she supposed he could do what he wanted.

They talked for a while, about nothing really important. When Jessica finished her beer she decided to go dancing. She told Edward and walked off towards the dance floor. Wow she was a good dancer. Edward snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She felt the cold but thought nothing of it when she smelled his sweet breath. He whispered in her ear, "Let's get out of here." She happily complied, unknown to what she had gotten herself into.

When he walked outside with his arm around Jessica he knew where they were. He also knew of a secluded spot a little bit off of a trail not too far from there, maybe five minutes. He helped her into the passenger seat of his car and then climbed in the driver's side. When he drove towards the way he caught her gaze and smiled a dazzling smile at her, he heard her heart speed up. When he got to the trail he let himself out of the car. He headed over and opened up Jessica's door, she started to climb out when he motioned for her to stop, she looked confused, but Edward picked her up bridal style and kicked the door shut. "Edward! Edward put me down!"

He looked in her eyes with what he hoped was passion, or at least lust. "Not a chance, you'd get lost if I put you down, we're going to a spot I found, that no one else knows about." She bit her lip, he couldn't help but think of the way Bella did that. He stopped his thinking track abruptly, he would not think about her until the moment he was about to die. She closed her eyes and hid her face in his chest, obviously in embarrassment for whatever she was thinking. He knew from the way her heart sped up even more, and more importantly, her thoughts. She was thinking about them, together, having sex. Well it seemed that they were about to come true.

Since she wasn't looking around anymore, he ran at vampire speed to the little clearing, it was similar to the meadow he and Bella shared, but it was nowhere near as special. She opened her eyes and looked around. "Edward this is breathtaking." He looked at her. He leaned in slowly and kissed her, testing her. She kissed back with a passion Bella would have never dared to do, and right now he didn't care.

They moved their lips in what seemed to be a choreographed dance as he was still holding her. He slowly, gently placed her on her back on the ground, and then had himself on top of her; he held all of his weight with his arms. They never broke the kiss. He sucked on her bottom lip and earned a moan that escaped Jessica's lips. He then ran his tongue along her bottom lip, asking for entrance. She allowed him, and then their tongues were in the dance as well. She let him win and sighed happily as his tongue explored the cavern of her mouth.

His hand started trailing down her side, ending at her waist. It made a path up again, but this time trailing up the middle of her stomach. It went in the valley between her breasts. He took her right breast in his hand and squeezed gently. He earned a lower, louder moan than the one she had before. He tested her, squeezing gently at first, a small moan escaped her lips. Then he squeezed harder, a rather moan came out but Edward had her muffled with his lips on hers.

They pulled away from each other, panting for breath. He read her mind, making sure she wanted to go on. She did. He pulled her shirt over her head and stared at her breasts. They were perfect. He started kissing her again, but soon he kissed down her jaw and to her neck, where he sucked on her pulse point. He heard her heart quicken in anticipation. He continued his trail down stopping when he reached her cleavage. He looked back up at her; she had her eyes closed and her head hanging back. He quickly undid the clasp so conveniently located at the front of her bra and watched her breasts bounce out of it.

He took a moment to look at them, to appreciate them. This was certainly the distraction he had hoped for. He grabbed both breasts and watched the nipples pebble from his touch. He continued his kisses, but instead of going down he took his tongue and trailed circles around her left breast, getting closer to the nipple with each circle. Her breathing increased substantially. When he reached her nipple he flicked it with his tongue and sucked on it, while he was busying his hand with playing with her other breast. He switched breasts, ravishing them each equally. Jessica was moaning freely now, Edward knew no one was around to hear them anyway, he smirked.

He pulled her short skirt down to reveal her matching panties. He could smell her arousal even more now, and that just fueled his own. He could feel himself becoming harder in his pants, but he ignored it. He wanted his first time to be very enjoyable. He kissed his way down her stomach, down her left leg and back up, then down her right leg and back up. He stopped when he reached the top of her panties. Knowing full well that she would enjoy this, he took the top of the lacey fabric in his teeth and pulled it down. When it got to her ankles he just grabbed it and pulled it off. Now Jessica was completely naked, while he was completely dressed, but it didn't seem to bother her.

He kissed back up her right leg again, and stopped at her arousal. He looked up at her, wanting her to look at him before he went any further. He saw her stare of full lust and immediately continued. He experimentally licked the top of her lips until she was whimpering with his teasing. He suddenly licked her from bottom to top. He stopped at her clit where he repeatedly flicked it with his tongue. Jessica screamed. He felt her pleasure through her mind and that just added to the painful bulge in his pants. He kept going, licking and sucking on her clit. Just when she thought that he was done, he inserted a finger into her. He kept licking her, but now he was pumping, one, two, three fingers inside of her, twisting, trying to find her g-spot. He knew when he had found it, Jessica had just screamed louder with that pump than any other one, but he knew that she didn't orgasm yet. He smiled and pumped his fingers in and out, constantly hitting that same spot over and over again. He was also licking her clit still. She started moving around from the pleasure building inside her body. He used his hand to keep her waist from moving. He pumped his fingers faster and wiggled them when he touched that spot inside her. She was screaming louder than ever now. He felt her orgasm, her pussy clenched around his fingers, but he still kept pumping them, still kept hitting that spot. He still kept sucking on her clit. She was going insane. He didn't let her recover from her orgasm, so her body spasmed from the immense amount of pleasure he was giving her. Soon she was having an orgasm with every pump of his fingers but he didn't stop. When he counted twenty he started to slow down, and then finally pulled his fingers out of her. He wanted to know she was still ready for him, so he spread her legs apart. He pushed her lips gently away with his fingers and started licking and sucking on her clit again. He smelled her new arousal and gently stopped. He kissed his way back up her stomach and stopped when he reached her face.

She grabbed his face and kissed him fiercely. "That was amazing. But now it's your turn." She took her hand and gently pushed him, he knew that she wanted him to lie on his back, and he complied. She kissed him, but then kissed all around his face. She moved her hands to lift his shirt over his head. When she saw his bare chest she gasped, but wanting to give him the same pleasure he gave her, she busied herself.

She was soon kissing and licking every part of his chest. She traced her tongue on the defined lines of his abs; she licked both of his nipples, making him moan. That was the first time he had moaned that night, and she intended to do it again. She focused on one of his nipples and licked and nipped at it while her hands undid his jeans and pulled them down. She gave the same attention to his other nipple when she noticed his rather large hard-on. She smiled. She licked herself back down his abs and yanked off his boxers in one go. His erection was standing fully straight up. She licked her lips just looking at it.

Then she went down on him. She amazingly fit all of him into her mouth. He moaned loudly and his hand went instinctively to the back of her head. It seemed like she had no gag reflex. She had her tongue running around the sides of his cock while the tip of it was hitting the back of her throat with every bob of her head. Simultaneously she was fondling his balls with her hands. When she squeezed them she earned a scream from him as he came, but he was not done yet. She swallowed all of his cum and proceeded to lick and suck on the tip of him, she bent down a little further to lick and nip at his balls, he moaned very loudly. She wrapped her tongue around him and slid it back up his cock. Her hands were now massaging his very wet balls. She enclosed the tip of his cock and sucked, hard. She hallowed her cheeks and bobbed her head as fast as she could go. He came again and again. When she was satisfied with the number of orgasms she cleaned him off with her tongue and kissed up his abs.

He looked her in the eyes and kissed her. He stole her words from her, "That was amazing."

They still weren't done yet though. "Edward let's do this." She positioned herself above his member and sat down, they both immediately moaned from the contact.

Edward flipped them around so he was on top. He shoved his cock into her pussy repeatedly. "Fuck you feel so good Jess." Jessica couldn't form a coherent sentence. He wanted her to enjoy this as much as possible. He made his hand travel down between them and pinched and rubbed her clit. She opened her eyes wide and screamed. He felt her body convulsing around hers but it wasn't enough. He flipped Jessica around so they were fucking doggie style, never pausing in his rhythm. "Oh my god Jess, so fucking tight." He bent down over her and played with her nipples. He pinched them and rolled them in his hands. She had another orgasm. Jessica stopped and pulled herself off of him. He went to say something first but was silenced by the sight of Jessica crawling seductively towards him. She whispered in his ear.

"You know, I'm really flexible." That was it. He stood them both up and put her right leg on his shoulder, damn, she wasn't kidding when she said that. He positioned himself at her entrance and entered her. He immediately earned a load moan when he hit her g-spot. He put his one hand on her back, holding her steady, while the other was pinching at her clit again. He started going faster, and faster. Now he was going at a speed that was not normal, but Jessica was too caught up in pleasure to notice. He was fucking her so hard for so long that she was kept in a constant state of orgasm. She was screaming Edward's name over and over again.

He was starting to get close. He went faster than he had ever gone before, Jessica screamed. Her walls convulsing around him sent him over the edge. He repeated to fuck her while he was orgasming, drawing out the pleasure. He screamed her name.

He laid them on the ground gently, watching the way Jessica's curls were cascaded around her face. He lay on his stomach and studied her. She really was beautiful, even more so than Bella.

Bella, he suddenly remembered the reason he was doing this. He didn't care about her anymore. The wolf could have her; right now he thought she was a greedy jerk. He had Jessica, she didn't have the best of personalities, but Edward could fix that.

Jessica noticed him staring at her deep in thought. "Edward, what's wrong? What are you thinking about?" She looked genuinely concerned, maybe she wasn't as bad as everyone thought she was.

"I was just thinking about how beautiful you were." She blushed; it was even more adorable than Bella's. "I was also thinking about how we went about this the wrong way. I know this is a little late, but, would you like to go out with me?"

He read her thoughts, and found that she was ecstatic that this wasn't a one-night stand. "Yes Edward, I would love to go out with you." She smiled warmly at him before drifting of next to him in a dreamy sleep. He covered her with hers and his clothes apart from his boxers before settling next to her and holding her close.

He looked at her, maybe life without Bella wouldn't be so bad.

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Please review!

This was originally supposed to be a one-shot, but I'm thinking about turning it into a story, I will if I get enough reviews asking me to.


	2. The Truth Is Always Revealed

Okay so here is the new chapter I promised to those of you that wanted me to continue it.

Sorry it's been such a long wait but I needed to get an idea of where I was going with the story before I could start anything.

With that, let's begin.

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I'm Sorry Doesn't Mend a Broken Heart

Jessica POV

Ugh. What in the world happened last night? Oh yeah. I can't help but blush at the thought of what happened, is Edward even awake? Oh well, time to wake up. I can feel my bones cracking as they snap into a natural place when I stretch them high above my head. I yelp softly as smooth yet big hands catch mine and lips brush along my knuckles. I let out a content sigh before opening my eyes.

Edward's honey eyes are so amazing that I could lose myself in them for hours and I would never complain. He's staring at me intently, his face is furrowed in a confused thought, and his worry line is prominent on his forehead. I lean up to kiss it away and pull back only satisfied when it's gone. "Edward what's wrong?"

I swear half of the things he _innocently _does to me are on purpose. At least it certainly seemed that way when he had to take a deep breath and let it out right next to my face. Which I have to admit clouded my thoughts big time, but it's not as if he could read them. His gaze returned to me, there was such love and adoration in them that I can't deny the truth of anything he said. "Yes love, I'm perfectly alright."

Although I still seem wary of him it doesn't matter. He'll tell me in his own time. I wrap my arms around his neck and hide my face next to his head. He chuckles a little bit before putting his hands behind my back to help me gently sit upright. I flinch at the outright coldness of his hands. They feel like he left them sitting on ice all night, in fact, all of him feels that way. "Geez Edward, you're freezing!" I grasp for one of his hands in both of mine and start rubbing it, hopefully the friction will bring him warmth. I pepper kisses around his face, which I note, is also cold as ice. He moves his head so the next kiss I aim lands on his lips and he smiles.

He pulls away from me and gently extracts his hand from my own. I frown as he looks to his hand in surprise; however he turns right back to me once he notices my face. "It's okay Jess," The way he said my nickname made my words catch in my throat. "Believe me, I'm just cold blooded, trying to change that would be a lost cause." He smiles the crooked grin he's been known to shoot Bella a few times, now I understand why she's such a klutz all the time. I wonder if now that she's broken up with him if she's less clumsy and more graceful. The thought makes me snort in the hilarity of that possibility. Edward looks at me questionably, but I just shake my head at him. "Come on, let's drive you home."

I can feel my face fall. His eyes turn from lovingly to worried in a second flat. "But when will we see each other again?"

He starts laughing, he's laughing at me for asking that. I thought he said that this wasn't a one night stand. I slide over to the side of, what I now realize, the backseat of his car. I bring my legs up and wrap my arms around them, he's still laughing. What a jerk. He looks at me and stops immediately. "Jess I didn't mean that in a bad way. I just think that after one night you care for me almost more than Bella did after about a year, and that was only after I left."

I just shook my head at him. "Take me home."

He just sighed. He got out of his side of the car and before I knew it the wall, or rather door, behind me opened. I would've fallen out but Edward caught me in a cradle-hold. The coldness was oddly comforting and soothing. He effortlessly held me in one hand as he opened the passenger seat door with the other and kicked the backseat door shut. His strength was surprising despite what I'd heard and I went wide-eyed at the sight. I peered at his arms; they seemed way too small to be able to harbor that amount of power. He placed me in the car with care and buckled my seat as if I were a child. I was about to snap at him when he finished. But when he finished he kissed me full out on the lips with no warning, let's just say it didn't go as it would've had I had my head clear. I did manage to jerk my head away from his though, he just sighed sadly again. "Jess you're being silly." I crossed my arms over my chest and turned my head away. Okay, I can admit that I did feel a bit foolish. His lips made their presence known by placing a kiss at the base of my neck. He kept kissing up the side of my face and ended at the corner of my mouth. Then he made his way to my ear and whispered, "And to answer your question I was going to see if you'd like to go out with me tomorrow night."

I gasped and couldn't take it anymore, it wasn't fair how appealing he was to me, and how easy it was for him to talk himself out of arguments. I twisted my head and kissed him with all my might before pulling away quickly. "Please take me home." His eyes looked hurt but he deserved it for making me feel that way for a little bit, he could survive the ride to my house. When he shut my door I pulled out my phone and texted my best friend, well, only friend Mia and told her to come over to my house. It was lucky I was fast at texting because as soon as I put my phone back in my pocket Edward entered the car on the driver's side. We took the ride home in silence, I stared out the window, but I caught Edward staring at me for long periods of time. It's a wonder we didn't get into an accident.

We pulled up to my house and I suspiciously noted that he didn't ask for my address once, how did he know where I live? I turned to him and narrowed my gaze. He just looked at me with those puppy-dog eyes and I can't refuse him anymore. I leaned over and brushed my lips with his. "See you tomorrow night." Every word I spoke causes my lips to brush against his. Before he could lean forward I got out of the car. I poked my head back in to assure him. "Tomorrow." Before he could say anything about it I shut the door.

I turned around only to see a familiar medium length black-haired, violet-eyed girl sitting on my porch with her head held up by her hand. I yelled out to her before she could get up and leave. "Mia!" She looked up and her strange eyes looked concerned, geez, how many people would be concerned for me in one day? This is not normal.

We ran over to each other and hugged. "Jessie! How are you?" I scowled at her from my head's resting spot on her shoulder. Only she could get away with calling me that. She pulled back to look at me. "Jess, there's that twinkle in your eyes, what happened now?" Damn could I not get anything past this girl?

"Ugh, you caught me." I grabbed her hand and pulled her inside. We were almost halfway down the hallway when my dad noticed us.

He smiled at us even though we both knew who he really was. "Hey Jess, Mia." He nodded to both of us and we nodded back. I really wanted to run and hide in my room but Mia's hand held me in place. "Where were you last night Jess?"

I held my chin up high, I wasn't trying to act superior to my dad, I was just trying to stand my ground. "I was out with a friend if you must know."

My dad's eyes shined and a mischievous smile formed on his lips. I curse the heavens for what's about to happen, but then I pray to god that Edward doesn't find out. "Well it wasn't Mia was it?" I shook my head no, I was eighteen now, I deserved to have some freedom. My father looked to Mia again; I risked a glance at her as well. She looked normal, but her eyes were frightened, I squeezed her hand in reassurance, because I knew what was going to happen, it always did. "Mia would you mind going to Jess's room? I just want to have a word with Jess in the living room for a moment."

Mia's hand started trembling. "I think it would be better if Jess came with me, she sounded urgent when…"

"Mia go to her room, I'll be up in a couple minutes, no big deal." I had to cut her off, she was rambling again. She looked near to tears, but she nodded at me and slowly made her way to my room. I sighed and looked to my father, whose expression turned vicious. He gestured to the living room. I had no choice; I walked in and sat on the couch.

He sauntered in and took his belt off, I looked at him warily. This was new. "Haven't I told you that you have to come home at night?" I refuse to answer him, there's no reason I should. He grabbed my hair and yanked it, hard. I screamed out in pain. "I said, haven't I told you that you have to come home at night!"

He still had my hair in his hand. My voice was wavering on the brink of bursting into sobs. "Y-yes."

He let my hair drop strand by strand. "Who were you with?" Oh god I could never tell him, the punishment would be far worse than what I usually got. He grabbed a fistful of my hair and threw me onto my stomach on the couch with as much force as he had. I screamed again, but it did no use, nothing fazed him. "Who were you with yesterday night!"

I shouted at him before he hurt me again. "It was a boy! A boy you don't know!" I knew for a fact that he knew all of the Cullens, but I didn't want him to hurt Edward. I shivered when I felt my dad's beefy fingers sliding down my spine, I shrank back into the couch, I didn't know what was coming next.

"A boy I don't know huh?" He paused. "Well maybe this will teach you better!" Then it happened. I screeched in pure agony. If I thought that the hair-pulling was horrible, then this was torture. He kept whipping me with his belt again and again. I could feel the marks starting to blossom on my back. My shirt was clinging to me now, but it didn't much matter as I was face-down on the couch getting the shit beat out of me. I didn't stop screeching until he was done. Once he thought he had caused enough damage he latched onto the collar of my shirt and pulled me into a standing position. He shoved me in the direction of the hallway. "Go run along to your friend, once you're done you better go shopping; you're going to need some new shirts to cover that up." He sneered at me as I whimpered my way to my room.

My face was tear-streaked I'm sure. I stumbled my way into my room and Mia caught me in an embrace. I arched my back out of her grip and cried out in pain. I collapsed on the floor and curled into a ball. I broke out into body-shaking sobs. Mia leaned down next to me and this was the first time I saw her beautiful face stained with tears. "What the hell did that bastard do to you this time?" Her voice was shaky, but firm. I just shook my head at her and continued to cry on the floor. Mia managed to lift me onto my bed without touching my back and she shut my door. My hands searched frantically for my favorite stuffed animal, it was a lion, and also a gift. Once I had it I locked it in my arms, it reminds me that someone loved me. Mia just shook her head at me, her voice was quiet, as if she was afraid she might startle me. "May I?" She gestured to my back. I nodded my head once, I wanted to know the damage my father had done.

She gently pulled me into a sitting position and lifted my shirt over my head. I see that she already has the super-first-aid kit out, I'm not sure how much it can help this time. She pushes on my shoulder and I lay back on my stomach with my head resting on my stuffed lion. She gasps and I cringe. This reminds me of what just happened downstairs. "J-Jess, this is h-h-horrible." Oh god, now I know it's bad. Usually Mia keeps her calm when stuff like this happens, but usually it's just a couple bruises, maybe a scrape or two. "You need to leave your house, come to live with me, this is insane." I see a flash go off and she hands a digital camera to me. I can't help but be appalled at what's on the screen.

It appears to be a picture of my back, but it's all cut up. The slices are long and in no particular pattern, and there are a lot of them. The blood is dripping down and it looks like it's covering a lot more cuts that are there. I sit up quickly, wincing slightly as I do. I look up at Mia through my wet lashes, my decision is made. "I agree." She sighs in relief. She's asked me to move in with her many times before, but I always refused. I'm not putting up with my father's bullshit anymore, not now. "I have a plan."

Mia sits on the end of my bed and waits patiently. "You drove here right?" She nodded quickly, so that's how we'll leave. "Okay, first we will pack up all of the stuff I want. My father told me that I have to go shopping for new shirts so I can hide my newest cuts." Mia looked like she was going to grab a shotgun and kill my father, I wouldn't blame her. "We can throw my stuff outside my window and I'll take my purse downstairs. It'll have all of my money in it and the important stuff I need. We tell my father that we're going shopping, and then we run around and grab my stuff and stash it in the trunk of your car. When we have everything we just leave. My father will think I'm going shopping, and it'll be too late when he realizes that I'm not coming home."

She smiled at me. "It sounds like a plan, but first let me clean and wrap your back." I sighed and lay back down on my bed. Apart from the occasional winces and flinches, the whole process went pretty smoothly. Except now I have a wrap that goes around my whole torso, but I can deal with that, it's not as painful anymore. Mia packs up the first-aid kit and places it on the ground outside the window. "We might need that later, just in case." I nodded at her. Then her eyes lit up, that only happens when she gets an idea. "Jess we can just sneak out of the window and pack my car, that way in case your father walks outside to see us off, he won't notice us packing things away."

"I agree with you completely." With that we set about rummaging through my closet and finding all of the bags I own, which was a lot. We packed all of them with my clothes that I still wear and the other things important to me. We managed to get outside and pack her car without raising suspicion. We snuck back into my room, not without difficulty though, seeing as my current condition. I ran down the hallway and tried to be my usual peppy self. "Bye dad, going shopping!"

I heard him yell from the living room. "See you later!" That you won't dad, that you won't.

As soon as we were off my street Mia shouted in victory. "You're finally free girl!" We giggled like a bunch of school girls, believe me, if you were put in my situation, you would too.

I was literally bouncing in my seat when we got to my favorite outlet store. I never knew how good it could feel knowing that I'm free of the burden that is my father. I raced into the store with a new hope in my eyes. I started picking out clothes that would in fact hide the marks on my back. It's not that I was ashamed; I just didn't want any questions to come of it. Mia and I had managed to pick out about five shirts when Bella Swan stepped into the store.

I don't know what she was doing here, but it didn't matter. She used to be one of my friends, but that didn't mean I was going to be mean to her, I was too happy to do that. "Hey Bella! It's so nice to see you!"

Bella's eyes, normally a nice chocolate brown, were like molten pits of chocolate instead. What the hell has her so pissed? "Why in the world are you going out with Edward Cullen!" Oh, that.

"I'll have you know that he asked me out Bella. I'm sorry that it's so soon after you broke up with him, but that's not my fault. He was the one that found me, why do you care anyway? I thought you broke up with him." She was absolutely seething, I told nothing but the truth, sometimes it can hurt. I would know.

"You fucking slept with him!" I have no response to that, I really don't want to fight with Bella, it's a good thing Mia's in the changing room or Bella would've been back-handed the second she started yelling at me. "I hope you know that the relationship isn't going to last."

"What do you mean?" Bella just smirked at me.

"Well, you already slept with him. That's the only use you are to him. You're just a free and willing whore for him to use as he likes. He doesn't care about you, why would he? He never did respond to your advances in school. He was just depressed because I broke up with him. He told me that I was the love of his existence. I was the best thing that ever happened to him. Even if he does care for you, which he doesn't, the best thing you can ever be to him is second-best, but you aren't even worthy of that you slut. You're completely worthless. He'll grow tired of you and leave, and you'll have no one but yourself to blame." This was way too far.

"Okay Bella, I was trying to be nice, but you crossed the line." I paused and took a deep breath to build up my courage. "He told me that I was beautiful. You should've seen his eyes when we were together, he can't lie to me when his eyes were giving off such emotion. After we made love he told me that Jacob could have you." Bella stopped breathing and glared at me. "He said that he didn't want you anymore. It's because you're a selfish bitch who can't be happy unless you have two guys pinning after you." I sneered at her. She didn't have a right to talk to me that way.

She pulled her fist back and before I could block it she slammed it into my face and broke my nose. I fell on the ground and got pushed on my back. I screamed and flopped back up into a sitting position. I was mad at Bella, but I would never use physical violence, never. I started whimpering and crying on the floor while clutching my nose, there's nothing I could do about that though, I went through enough pain already today and I didn't need to deal with this. Mia rushed out of the changing room and ran over to comfort me. She almost put her hand on my back but she stopped herself just in time. Instead she crouched in front of me and gently pulled my hands away from my face. "Jess, Jess sweetie can you look up at me for a second?" I raised my hand and she gasped. I started crying again and Mia turned to Bella.

"What the fuck were you thinking! She doesn't need this, she has enough to deal with already!" Bella started stuttering. "No I don't want to hear your crap. You had no right to do this, Jess was being nothing but polite to you from what I heard!" Bella started backing away. "Just leave before I back-hand you into next week."

Bella didn't move from the spot, her eyes were wide and begging forgiveness she wasn't going to get. "Please, I went too far, I know. Just get Jess's cell phone and call Edward Cullen. Tell him to come here to help Jessica; he'll know what to do." I snarled when she called me Jess, only my friends can call me that. When Bella was done talking she scampered out of the store.

Mia crouched back down to me. She held out her hand and smiled sweetly. "Jess, can I please see your phone?" I just gave it to her; she would find a way to get it anyway. As soon as she dialed his number I ran into the dressing room, Edward shouldn't see me like this. I managed to lock the door before Mia got there and I collapsed again. I curled up into a ball on the floor for the second time today. I didn't dare look into the mirror; I didn't want to see what damage Bella had done. I faintly heard Mia screaming at the two employees that were horrorstruck ever since this whole thing started. "What the fuck are you guys doing! Go try to help her!"

Then I heard two people getting closer, and then they were knocking on the door. They were both talking, trying to comfort me. There was a fat chance that was going to happen. I heard many things being said such as "Miss please come out, we'll help you." Or "Miss can I just fix your nose?" Then there was the one voice I recognized.

He sounded very angry. He was apparently trying to get the employees to let him try to get me out of the changing room, he would succeed, he had that special charm on people. He knocked on the door very timidly. "Jess? Please open the door. I promise no one will ever hurt you for the rest of your life." His voice was just bringing back the painful things Bella said to me. I'm worthless, no wonder my father beats me. I slammed open the dressing room door with my hands covering my nose. I tried to run past Edward into the store but he caught me and wrapped his arms around me. I was still trying to get away from him so he held onto me tighter, way too tight for comfort. "Jess calm down it's me." His voice did nothing to soothe me this time.

I screamed and arched my back. I looked around for Mia and found her. "Mia! Tell him to let me go please!" I was crying uncontrollably now.

Mia rushed over and tried to get Edward's arms off of me. "Edward let her go you're hurting her!" His arms dropped dead at her words and I ran into Mia's arms. She placed both of her hands on my shoulders and was very careful not to touch my back. She guided me to a seat in the store and Edward followed, he looked like a ghost.

As soon as I sat down I was shaking with my sobs. Edward sat next to me but did not touch me. I looked at him and tried to stop my crying, I stopped the shaking and sobbing, but I couldn't stop the tears that were flowing. "I-I'm sorry Edward. It just r-really h-h-hurt."

He slowly but deliberately put one finger under my chin. His other hand enclosed my hands and brought them away from my face. He tilted my chin up and gasped. He looked furious. He let go of my hands and got his cell phone out. He flipped it open with enough force to snap the top off, luckily it didn't. He pressed one number and then held it up to his ear impatiently. As soon as the person answered he started talking. "Carlisle, it's Edward, Jessica got hit pretty bad. It's worse than we thought it was going to be. Come home, I'll take her to see you there." With that he just hung up the phone and turned to me. "Jess, can I take you to Carlisle? He'll look at your nose but you don't have to go to the hospital, we can do it at my house."

I'm not sure how he knew this was going to happen. Obviously he did otherwise he wouldn't have said 'it's worse than we thought it was going to be.' Well I would have to go sometime. "Can Mia come with us?" I looked hopefully to Mia.

Mia just stared, I guess she was surprised. "Can I follow you in my car? I don't feel like leaving it here." Edward nodded and quickly gave her the directions in case we got separated. However, Edward insisted that I ride with him to his house, so we were in another silent car ride. I think Edward just didn't want to provoke the sobs again. I've learned that most men shy away from tears.

When we got to the house Carlisle greeted us at the door. It was strange how far into the forest they lived. Carlisle tried not to show too much emotion when he was examining me. I had to follow him into his office, Edward and Mia followed.

When I sat down Carlisle asked me to lower my hands. I did and looked up; he was, after all, a doctor. Only good could come of this, hopefully. He touched my cheek gently and turned my face side to side. "Wow, Bella did a number on you." He looked at my nose and touched it gently, I winced a little, but otherwise I was fine. "Okay your nose seems to have set correctly, you will have a nasty bruise but you'll be fine." I sighed in relief. Carlisle turned to Mia. "Can I have the full story please?" I eyed Mia over his shoulder, reminding her to not tell him anything about what happened with my father.

Mia told them what happened, apart from the bit about my father. Carlisle sighed and turned back to me. "I just have to check you for any bruises since you fell. I'll press on different parts of your body; just tell me if it hurts okay?" Oh no.

He pressed his fingers to the front of my shoulders and down the top of my arms. He pressed lightly on my stomach and seemed to be hesitant. He touched town the top of both of my legs. "Could you please turn around?" I complied. He pressed the back of my neck and started a straight line down my back. Each press hurt more than the last. When he reached the middle of my back I couldn't take it anymore. I cried out in pain. He pressed the same spot again and I arched my back and whimpered. "Jessica there seems to be a tender spot there. Is it alright if you take your shirt off so I could get a better look?"

I looked to Mia, she just nodded. The truth would've come out sometime anyway. I delicately lifted my shirt off of my head and Carlisle looked confused. "What's that?" I just shook my head. "Can I take a look under it?" I nodded yes, maybe if a doctor helped me it would heal faster. I undid the Velcro on my stomach and then handed the end to him. I turned so my back would be facing him when he got it off. He slowly unwound the entire thing, and then peeled back the cotton that was stuck to my skin, by dried blood no doubt. He was the only one that could see my back, and he gasped in horror. "Edward, will you take a look at this?" Edward walked over next to Carlisle, saw my back, and hissed in outrage. The tears were starting to form in my eyes.

Mia finally saw me and spoke up. "Edward can we let Jess and Carlisle discuss this privately?" I wasn't looking, but I hear them leave the room.

"Jessica, what happened to you?" I started crying then, I couldn't talk if I tried. "Will you at least let me heal your back?" I nodded my approval and lay on my stomach. I flinched as he started working but soon got used to it. After about ten minutes he started talking again. "Will you please tell me what happened? If I know what caused it, I could better treat it."

Inside I know this was true. I have to tell him, it'll just haunt me if I don't. "M-my dad. He used t-t-to beat m-me."

Carlisle, true to his word, sounded very professional. "Used to?"

I nodded against the table as he worked. My voice got stronger once I talked a little, and I found that I could talk without stuttering. "I was out with Edward all night last night. I came home this morning and met Mia at my house. I live at home with my dad, my mom died a couple years ago." I paused and took a deep breath. "My dad made Mia go to my room. He took me into the living room and did the usual punishment for staying out too late. He pulled my hair hard, he used to slap and punch me, but that became too noticeable. This time he whipped me with his belt on my back. When he was done he told me that I would have to go shopping for shirts that didn't expose the cuts. My bedroom is on the ground floor. So after Mia bandaged my back we climbed out the window and took most of my stuff and put it in her car. Then we acted as if we were going shopping. I was going to live at Mia's house, but I don't think I'll be able to live there forever."

Carlisle was done and I sat up. My back felt great, well at least much better than it had felt. Carlisle looked up to me with sadness in his eyes. "You're always welcome to stay here Jessica." My breath caught in my throat at the generosity all of the Cullens seemed to possess.

Maybe meeting Edward was a good thing. It meant the start of a new life, the start of a new me.

* * *

Oh my god that took forever to write. It's finally done, now I don't feel bad for never writing a new chapter for the story.

So as always, tell me what you think! I know this story wound down a dark path, but I promise it gets better. This is just the beginning.


	3. Secrets and Surprises

Hello people! I'm back!  
Yeah, I know you probably all hate me for never updating, I'm sorry! Truly I am!  
For the people that were waiting for an update, you can thank Edrose for messaging me about this story, as it gave me the inspiration to start writing it again.

Anyway, I'm sure you don't want to listen to me ramble about things, on with the story!  
A/N: I do not, nor will I ever, own the characters from Twilight, they belong to Stephenie Meyer, I just like doing things with them(:

* * *

Doctor Carlisle Cullen left the room after his offer, giving me time to think about what he said. I sighed and leaned forward, my head resting on my chin. My eyes shut softly as I pictured the life I could lead by living here. Subconsciously I heard the door open, I'm sure of it. The gentle touch on my wrist made me jump and my eyes fluttered open. I smiled as I saw that Edward was the one that startled me. "Hey, you."

He smiled back, his perfect white teeth sparkling from the sunlight shining in through the window. "Hey, are you thinking about what Carlisle offered?"

I sat up straight and he crouched down, putting his head in a lower position then mine. I looked down at him and pursed my lips. "How did you know about that?"

He pointed to the side of his head. "I have a very good sense of hearing."

I nodded and then looked at the door, which was left open. The plain white walls of the hallway were decorated with old paintings. Fascinating looking, I'll have to ask Edward about them later. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and turned back to Edward, who was waiting for my answer ever-so-patiently. My gaze traveled to my lap and stayed there as I fiddled with my hands. "Do-I mean, would you really want me to _live _here with you? We only just started going out, isn't this a little too fast?"

He caught my chin in his hands and lifted my head just enough so he could see my face, which I'm sure was emitting uncertainty. He chuckled. "Carlisle wouldn't have offered if he didn't know everyone was okay with it. Believe me; we really don't want you to go back to your house. But, there is one little complication…"

I cocked my head to the side and watched his hand drop as it disconnected with my chin. "What sort of complication?"

He sighed, his gorgeous honey eyes never leaving mine. "You'll have to be…made aware of something first." I could see he struggled with the words he used, I guess what he wanted to say just, couldn't be put into words.

"Like a secret?"

He nodded, his mouth set. "Yes, a very big secret that I'm trusting with you. It could literally mean life or death for you, for me, for my family. If you live here we'll have to tell you, do you think you can handle it?"

I searched his eyes and found nothing but sincerity, something must be really big, and he trusts me. A warm, pleasant feeling started in my stomach. I really do like him, a lot, and if he wants to tell me this then he must like me enough, enough to trust me with his life. I don't know too many people I would trust with my life, maybe only Mia. The feeling soon spread throughout my whole body, I could feel it in my arms and legs, my fingertips felt electric. I leaned down and gently pressed my lips against his, just for a moment, before pulling back and smiling. "I can handle it."

He beamed at me, his smile lighting up his entire face. "Wonderful," then his face fell a little; I frowned and held his cheek with my hand. "I think it'd be best if we were outside when I told you."

He took my hand off of his cheek and interlaced our fingers. I shrugged and stood up, wondering why we had to be outside, but following his footsteps anyway. As we walked down the stairs I studied the various paintings, pictures, and wall hangings. I loved the way the Cullens decorated, the walls all white with just decorations everywhere. One particular thing caught my eye, it was a frame with what appeared to be squares of different colors, always either dull or very bold, no middle ground. I tugged on his hand and he stopped, his face was questioning. I pointed to the strange wall-piece. "What's that?"

He looked at it and smiled, before turning back to me, "I'll tell you after I tell you the secret, it won't make sense otherwise."

I frowned and nodded, so Edward continued on, his steps light and seemingly nonexistent. I bit my lip as I listened to my own footsteps, which sounded like thunder compared to the general quietness of the house.

We reached the living room, which was empty I noted. It had a very large couch with an extremely large flat-screen TV sitting across from it. The table, and various other surfaces in the room, had a vase with a perfect bunch of flowers in it. The piano was black, and it set off such a contrast to the rest of the room it was startling. The bench cushion was un-dented, insinuating that no one had played the piano in a while. It was such a point of interest for me that I tugged Edward to a stop once again. "Who plays the piano?"

He looked at the piano with no real emotion showing on his face. "Everyone plays a bit of it, mostly me though."

I smiled a genuine smile. "Will you play for me some time?"

He smiled back; his eyes gave off something I couldn't place, sadness, hope? "I sure hope so."

He then started walking again before I could question what he meant by that.

We moved through the living room quietly, but my silence was mostly due to the fact that I was looking at everything. We entered the kitchen and stepped down two small stairs. I gulped nervously and looked around, for the whole family was gathered in the kitchen, and they were all staring at me. Edward cleared his throat and I tore my gaze away from the scrutinizing stares of his family to look at him. "I've decided to tell her."

Edward's mother – I wasn't sure of her name yet – was a petite woman with a sort of chestnut hair, it fell in gentle curls a couple inches past her shoulders, her face looked very warm and motherly, and yet she still didn't look a day over 25. "Are you sure that's the right choice Edward? I have nothing against Jessica," she shot me a smile, which I returned, "but look at what happened with Bella. Are you sure that isn't going to happen again?"

Emmett, who I know from school, was a big, burly wall of muscle. He reminded me of a bear, and he was always very intimidating. "Yeah," he snarled, "she ran off with that _dog_."

I frowned; didn't Bella leave Edward for Jacob? I guess I'll be confused until I figure out what Edward wanted to tell me. Edward sighed and directed a look at his mother; I wasn't really sure what it implied. "I can't really explain it, I just feel, _right_, about Jessica." I squeezed his hand and he returned the gesture. "Besides, if she's going to be living here it'll be better if she knows, too many… things will go unexplained otherwise."

Rosalie, who I also know from school, was Emmett's girlfriend. She was the most beautiful girl in the school and everyone knew it, with her perfect figure, perfect face, and long flowing blonde hair. She sneered. "And what happens if she can't keep it a secret? What do we do with her then?"

I swallowed nervously, do with me? Edward's jaw was set. "She will be able to, I'm sure of it."

Rosalie looked at her nails, which were free of imperfections, as usual. "Yes, because we all know how sure you were of Bella."

Edward growled, and literally I mean, he growled. "Don't Rose, just don't."

Alice, who was also small, surprisingly smaller than Edward's mother, had short, spiky black hair. She was always in the top of fashion, and she was always nice. She skipped lightly over to us, hand in hand with her boyfriend, Jasper. He had curly blonde hair and was of medium build. His face was always twisted, as if he was in some sort of pain. Alice was the one who talked, although I'm not surprised about that. "I hope I'll be able to consider you family Jessica."

I smiled at her, she was very friendly. "I hope so too."

Before anyone could say anything else Edward pulled me out the door by my hand. I couldn't exactly tell, but I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to resist him if I wanted.

He led us to a spot on the rocks near a river. There were tall towering trees all around, throwing different-sized shadows on the lush green grass and the dirt. I sat down, a bit uncomfortably, on the edge of one of the rocks, Edward sitting opposite me. Edward took one of my hands in both of his, encasing it in icy cold. He looked around, his wandering eyes never settling on me. He must be really nervous. I leaned forward and touched his shoulder with my free hand. "Whatever you need to tell me Edward, I promise I'll keep it a secret."

He hung his head before looking up, straight into my eyes. I gasped at the seriousness that shone in his own. "I'm, well, my family and I, we're… not exactly human."

This, this did not startle me. For some people it might, but I've seen the perfection that is their whole family, and how they never seem to change. It's just really not surprising. I smiled softly and squeezed his shoulder. "Then what are you?"

He licked his lips; my eyes involuntarily darted down his face and then back up. "I'm a vampire."

I didn't pull away, which is probably the reaction he was waiting for. I was just… calculating. I knew he was being completely serious, I could see it in his eyes. And I knew I believed that they were something other than human, vampire however, I'm not sure about. "Do you mean like a vampire, from horror movies? The fangs, burning in the sunlight, the whole bit?"

He chuckled and looked up at me. "No, not exactly from the horror movies. Actual vampires are different from that."

I shifted my legs into a more comfortable position, the curious expression never leaving my face. "Care to explain?"

He let go of my hand now, I'm not sure why. He leaned back and gripped the sides of the rock he was sitting on. "Well we still need blood, but my family only eats the blood of animals, not humans. I suppose you could call us the equivalent to a human vegetarian."

I smiled and moved closer to him, our knees were now touching, and he didn't pull away. "Well then I have no reason to be afraid of you."

He raised an eyebrow, and not in a playful manner. "You have plenty reason to be afraid of me." He then dug his fingers into the rock, and it crumbled like cheese under his force. He brought up fistfuls of sandy gravel and let it trickle through his fingers. "We're also impossibly strong and fast." He got up and ran around the house, he was back before I could even blink.

I touched his face again, his hair tousled from the speed of the run and the wind rushing through his hair. "Is that why you're so cold all the time?"

He smiled sadly. "Cold like a stone."

I leaned in and kissed him once more like I did not one hour ago. He seemed genuinely surprised by this. I leaned my forehead against his. "Is that why you're also inhumanely beautiful?"

He smiled at me. "Apparently, I don't see it, but yes that's how it's supposed to go." Then he frowned, the worry lines creasing his forehead once again. "You're actually okay with this? You didn't even seem surprised."

I got up and sat instead in his lap. I wrapped his arms around me and shivered a little, but the warm summer weather kept me at a pleasant temperature. I kissed his cheek. "I'm very okay with it, as long as you don't eat me." I grinned at him. "And I think, subconsciously, I always knew you were something other than human. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone, I just have some more questions, you can't blame me for being curious."

He leaned his chin on my shoulder; I could feel his breath brushing my cheek as he spoke. "Ask away."

I had to think for a moment, and then I was prepared with a list of questions. "So you're immortal, in the meaning that you never die?"

He nodded. "Unless killed by another vampire or a werewolf, yes."

I wasn't fazed by the fact that there are werewolves as well. If there are vampires why can't there be werewolves? "And you don't age?"

This time he shook his head. "Nope, not a single year since I was turned."

I snuggled farther back into his arms. "And when was that exactly?"

"1918." Wow, he was younger than I thought he would be, what with the never dying and all.

"And what age are you physically?"

"Physically?" he replied, I suppose for clarity. I nodded in affirmation. "I was 17 when I was turned."

I giggled a little and poked his arm. "That means technically, I'm older than you."

He shook his head in amusement. "And you find that funny? Bella always hated that she was older."

I turned and looked into his eyes. "Well I'm not Bella."

"No, you're certainly not."

I clapped my hands once, "So, back to the questions." I paused. "Do you also hear well because of it?"

"Yes."

"And I'm assuming that you have a strong sense of smell too, it wouldn't make sense to improve only some of the senses."

"That would be correct."

I laughed a little at the next thought. "Do you sleep in a coffin?"

I felt him smile against me. "No, I don't sleep at all."

"At all? How do you get energy?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure, maybe that would be a question for Carlisle, although I think it has something to do with our blood intake."

I frowned; I was running out of ideas. "Anything else I should know about?"

His arms flexed against me, whether voluntary or not I don't know. "Well, some vampires have special abilities. Jasper has the ability to control emotions, Alice can see the future, and I can read minds."

I froze and turned around. "You-you can read minds?"

He raised an eyebrow again, "Yeah, is there something wrong?"

I shot up and started pacing in front of him. "You can read minds, you can read my mind!" I gasped. "Did you hear everything? You must think I'm a lunatic or something…"

He just watched all this, suppressing laughter. Finally he got up and grabbed my forearms as I was currently holding my head in my hands. I stopped and looked up at him. "Relax, breathe." I did as I was told, breathing in deeply and relishing in the coolness that washed over me at the action. "Now I don't know what it is, but I can't read your mind all the time. It's like it turns on and off. I think I can hear you when – subconsciously as you didn't know until today – you _want _me to."

I let out a breath. "Oh, well that's good to know."

He released me and then drew me in for a hug. I felt the rumbles in his chest as he laughed. "I can't believe that out of everything I just told you, _that _is the thing that worried you the most."

I playfully smacked his arm, knowing full well that it wouldn't, couldn't, hurt him. Then I sighed as he finally stopped laughing. "Shall we go inside and talk to the rest of your family?"

He steered us in the direction of the door and flung an arm over my shoulders. "Don't worry, they like you already, believe me," he tapped his head, "I know."

I smiled at him. "That's reassuring, although I'm not sure if Rosalie likes me too much."

"Oh she does, she's just worried over things, it'll blow over soon enough."

I was about to reply when an anguished scream came from somewhere inside the house. I carefully watched Edward's face as it hardened, although his eyes held confusion and a touch of insecurity. From that look, I could tell that whatever caused the scream could not be good, not at all. Especially when Edward used his vampire speed to run into the house, leaving me outside alone.

I ran toward the door, wondering what was going on.

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Muahahah, I'm evil aren't I?  
I still haven't quite decided what I'm gonna make happen next, I have a couple ideas, but no solid decisions.

If anyone wants to, review and tell me what you think. You can even guess what they find when Jessica walks into the house.

Again, I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in a while, I'll try to get better about it.

Well, for now,  
~Arihena


	4. A plot twist?

Hello again! I'm finally updating, yay!

So here's what just happened in the story in case anyone forgot:_ I was about to reply when an anguished scream came from somewhere inside the house. I carefully watched Edward's face as it hardened, although his eyes held confusion and a touch of insecurity. From that look, I could tell that whatever caused the scream could not be good, not at all. Especially when Edward used his vampire speed to run into the house, leaving me outside alone._

_I ran toward the door, wondering what was going on._

Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Twilight or its characters

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Jessica POV

When I got inside the house I saw something I thought rather strange, besides the fact that I now know the Cullens are vampires.

Everyone was in the kitchen, not that they weren't before but now they were in a circle of some sort. I walked forward to try to see what was going on. Luckily a couple people were crouched down and I could see into the circle, had they not been I wouldn't be surprised if I couldn't move any of the vampires. What I saw made me gasp.

Alice, tiny, perfect, bubbly, always happy Alice was in the center of the circle. At first I thought she might be having a vision, and an important one at that, but then I realized that something was seriously wrong. She was convulsing on the ground, Edward was currently trying to soothe her to no avail. I think Jasper was trying to calm her with his power but it obviously wasn't working, just like it wasn't working on the rest of us, he must've been too worried about her. I assume the scream came from Alice as she looked like she was in pain. Then, out of the blue, she laid still, her eyes flitting about the room in nervousness.

Edward was the only one who actually seemed to be able to talk. "Alice?" Alice's eyes now traveled to his in recognition. "What was that?"

Alice sat up and shrugged, holding her head in her hands. "I-I'm not completely sure."

She shifted to the side ever so slightly and winced, her hands immediately coming back up to hold her head. Edward's own palm touched her forehead and he flinched as she sighed. "It's hot, do you have a headache?"

Alice nodded, Edward's hand never leaving her head. "Yes, that feels wonderful, thanks. Although, I don't think I can really move right now."

Edward's mother dashed over to the sink and ran a rag under cold water. "Get her to the couch for me will you?"

Before Edward could pick Alice up Jasper had her in his arms. His concern and worry for her seemed to be seeping out of every pore of his vampire body. He walked with perfect balance, not wanting to jostle her, before placing her gently onto the couch. He took the rag Edward's mother offered and held it to Alice's forehead. She sighed in relief again. "Better?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes, thank you."

Edward sat on her other side. "So what happened Allie?"

Alice shot him a small glare, at the use of the nickname I'm presuming, before telling us what just went on. "Well Esme and I were talking about planning a party for Jessica's next birthday." Both Edward's mother and Alice shot me a smile, which I returned, so I suppose Edward's mother's name is Esme. "Then I felt a vision coming on. It started out slowly, not like the others which usually jump right in. I only saw what looked to be an empty chair in the middle of a warehouse before the vision went completely black. It's very disconcerting to be blind after all this time being a vampire." I suppose vampires can see in the dark, not surprising as they are hunters. "I think that's when I screamed. Then I saw four different pairs of eyes, somewhat catlike but they weren't cats, coming out of the darkness. After that slashes of pain started going through my body, I could've sworn I was bleeding even though that idea is preposterous. Finally I was forcefully pushed out of the vision, probably giving me the horrible headache I have now."

Everyone's eyes seemed to glue to Carlisle after Alice was done, besides Jasper who looked like he wanted to crush Alice in a hug and never let her go. "What do you think those creatures are Alice?"

Alice shrugged. "I was hoping you would know."

Carlisle shook his head. "In all my years of being a vampire I've never come across a creature such as this one."

Emmett raised his hand halfway into the air. "Maybe it's a myth humans think isn't real, but they turn out to be real, just like us."

Rosalie smiled and held onto Emmett's arm. Esme nodded, "Yes, that's plausible. I'll go looking around for information on that." Then Esme was gone from the room, only a tiny breeze was there to tell me that she had used her vampire speed.

Edward cocked his head to the side. "So do you think that the creatures knew about your power then?"

Alice nodded sadly. "I think so, otherwise how would they have hurt me in my own vision? I wonder if they have a power to counteract mine and they're using it to their advantage."

Edward let out a breath. "I think you're right because I wasn't able to read your mind at all during that… well whatever that was."

I bit my lip and sat down next to Edward nervously, his hand snaked around my waist as soon as I was seated. "What do you think they want?"

Carlisle's eyes looked sad. "I don't know, I don't think we've really done anything lately. We haven't provoked the Volturi have we?"

"No."

My eyes wandered around the room and slowed at each vampire before coming to a stop at Edward. "Maybe they want something from you? Like a favor."

Edward's head shot up as he looked seriously at me. "I've never thought about it like that before but that could be it."

Then Esme ran back in the room triumphantly holding a stack of papers. "I found out what it might be."

"What?" I wasn't sure who spoke as a lot of people did at the same time.

Esme looked down at the papers and began to read. "The Bakeneko is a Japanese myth of a cat. The cat is said to be able to haunt houses, kill people, walk on its hind legs, transform into people, and even invade people's dreams." She paused for a moment. "I found some other myths that might make sense but all signs point to this."

Carlisle started pacing. "Yes, if they can invade dreams it's no surprise that they were able to do the same with Alice's vision." Then he came to an abrupt stop. "But what do they want?"

All answers were cut off however as a loud knocking sound rang throughout the house, then a timid voice spoke. "Edward, Jessica? It's me, Bella."

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Okay thanks for waiting so patiently for the next chapter! I know I said I'd try to get better about updating, but I guess it didn't work out too well.

As always, please review! I also hope some of you aren't too mad about the length of this chapter, but it really does open up the gateway for the rest of the plot.

~Arihena


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